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 If You Did It, Own It
by Tom Campbell
February 21, 2008
Whatever happened to the notion of personal responsibility? Two recent events by public officials demonstrate how far we have strayed from this fundamental concept.
Mary McAllister’s vehement response to a state audit is perplexing and troublesome. Representative McAllister is head of a Fayetteville nonprofit, Operation Sickle Cell, which receives much of its funding from the very legislature in which she serves. As Executive Director of this organization she receives a six figure income. When questions were raised by the State Board of Elections about her campaign finance reports, McAllister claimed ignorance of improper loan repayments or to illegal campaign contributions, humbly accepting her verdict to repay some ,000. She didn’t refute the Board’s conclusions and we didn’t hear an apology.
Given those findings it was only natural for the State Auditor to investigate her state-funded nonprofit. The results of the audit were, in the main, complementary of the way state funds were handled and confirmed that the income McAllister received was in line with other execs in similar roles. But when the audit found that state equipment was improperly used for political purposes, McAllister retaliated by saying the Auditor was on a “political witch hunt.” There was no denial of the findings nor was she willing to accept personal responsibility for employees she supervised who conducted these improper activities.
But former Durham District Attorney Mike Nifong, the so-called “rogue prosecutor” of the Duke Lacrosse case, may win the Oscar in the category of unwillingness to accept personal responsibility. Nifong’s actions have resulted in his disbarment and a verdict of misconduct in office. When named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit by the players he improperly prosecuted, Nifong immediately wriggled and finagled to avoid financial responsibility by filing for bankruptcy before any case ever came to trial, attempting to use the law to avoid personal responsibility for his actions. It is reported that Nifong even had his mother write him out of her will so that proceeds from her estate couldn’t be counted in his assets in any assessment of damages.
A federal court administrator said he shouldn’t be allowed to seek shelter in bankruptcy on the grounds that he makes too much money.
These may seem unrelated incidents, but they are highly symptomatic of a growing trend that may indicate a moral decline of our culture. Parents are unwilling to accept responsibility for the actions of their children. Elected officials rarely admit responsibility when problems occur on their watch. Corporations often point fingers rather than admit failings. Name a segment of our society and you find a rampant desire to escape accountability.
There is much talk of responsibility, but there is scant evidence of it and we seem unwilling to point out these obvious lapses, perhaps from fear of being accused of being judgmental or maybe for having our own shortcomings revealed. In the end, however, we can run but we cannot hide from inescapable truths.
If you did it, own it. That’s not a “witch hunt.” It is the call to responsible living. |
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